Multi-circuit electrical connectors of the type adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board typically include a plurality of electrical contact members or terminals disposed within a unitary dielectric housing, normally a molded plastic housing in which the contacts are inserted following molding. In these arrangements, the housing typically surrounds portions of the terminals immediately adjacent the printed circuit board to provide rigid support for the terminals.
Examples of such electrical connector assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,013 to Regnier et al., dated Dec. 15, 1987, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,093 to Walse et al., dated Oct. 25, 1988, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this invention.
Electrical connector assemblies of the character described usually are mounted on the printed circuit board by means of one or more mounting posts positioned in holes in the printed circuit board, normally at least two posts spaced apart and molded integrally with the housing. In elongate high density multi-circuit electrical connector assemblies, the mounting posts usually are disposed at or near opposite ends of the housing.
The contact members of such connector assemblies often have solder tails insertable through apertures in the printed circuit board for soldering to circuit traces or pads on the board. This solder tails sometimes also are used to lock the connector assembly to the circuit board prior to soldering. The locking often is accomplished by enlarged head portions or laterally projecting hooks which snap under the bottom side of the printed circuit board and thereby hold the connector assembly to the board. With high density multi-circuit electrical connectors, the contact members are thin stamped contacts, with a stamped locking hook projecting outwardly from one side of the solder tail portion of the contact.
One of the problems in using "hooked" solder tails of the contact members for locking the connector assembly to the board is in accommodating variances in the size of the apertures in the board through which the solder tails are inserted. Heretofore, the centerlines of the hooked solder tails have been aligned with the centerlines of the apertures when the centerlines of the mounting posts are inserted into the holes in the printed circuit board. The width of the solder tails between one side thereof and the outermost point of the hook on an opposite side thereof cannot be greater than the smallest width of the aperture through which the hooked solder tail is to be inserted. Consequently, if an aperture in the board is enlarged through manufacturing tolerances or whatever, the retention or locking capabilities of the hook on the solder tail is reduced. It can be understood that a point is reached quite readily where variations in the aperture width are not compatible with the necessary or required retention capabilities of the hooked solder tails.
This invention is directed to solving the above problems by providing an electrical connector assembly with contact members having hooked solder tails which are considerably less sensitive to variations in the apertures in the printed circuit board through which the solder tails are inserted, than was heretofore available.